This West Texas town has a lot of money in the bank. Why can't it pick up its trash?
Like local leaders in many other towns in West Texas, the Kermit City Council spent years saving its tax revenue fearing the energy economy would crash. Now it is struggling to keep up with essential services like trash and road repair.
A Texas politician wants to provide emergency services to constituents who don’t have them. Will they let him?
In unincorporated West Odessa, residents relish their freedom. And they also go without basic services. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, a young Republican with Ronald Reagan good looks and politics, wants to change that.
How an internship program hopes to end ‘brain drain’ in Texas’ Permian Basin and other rural regions
This is the third year businesses in the Permian Basin — known for high school football and oil fields — have participated in the University of Texas Austin program. Students this year say they are seeing their hometowns in a new way.
The Odessa water outage underscores a growing problem: Aging pipes in Texas cities are getting more fragile
Texas had 3,866 water boil notices in 2021, the most in the last decade. Aging water systems threaten water supply and quality — and for many small towns across the state, they won’t be cheap to repair.
Tens of thousands of people in Odessa have endured nearly 48 hours without water to drink, wash or flush toilets
The outage left about 165,000 people without water in Odessa and some surrounding areas. It has been attributed to a main line break in the city’s aging water system and comes amid a dayslong heat wave.
Confronted with mass shootings, Texas Republicans have repeatedly loosened gun laws
Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders signaled an openness to some gun restrictions after recent mass shootings. But in the last several years, lawmakers have eased gun laws, most notably by passing a permitless carry bill last year.
Do you dig it? This Texas home on the market is one fab pad
By the numbers: 1707 W Crescent Dr, Odessa, TX 79761 | $380,000 | 4,055 square feet | 1955 (year built) | 5 bedrooms | 3 bathrooms | 3 living areasFellow Zillow-surfers, say hello to 1707 West Crescent Drive, a five-bedroom abode nestled on a .32-acre lot in Odessa. The home’s exterior is distinctly mid-century modern, repping a roof that’s, well, something of a conversation piece to say the least, metal accents, a flat-roofed carport and a teal door to boot. Thoughtfully updated and preserved, the home retains an elusive aura of cool only ever really found in a true mid-century modern structure. Whether or not you’re interested in relocating to Odessa, you can still enjoy this rad pad, courtesy of the internet. Scroll through the slideshow above for a virtual tour of the 1707 W Crescent Dr.
In Russia and Ukraine, no social distance on crowded beaches
People enjoy the beach in the Black Sea in Odessa, Ukraine, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Tens of thousands of vacation-goers in Russia and Ukraine have descended on Black Sea beaches, paying little attention to safety measures despite levels of contagion still remaining high in both countries. (AP Photo/Sergei Poliakov)SOCHI Tens of thousands of vacation-goers in Russia and Ukraine have descended on Black Sea beaches, paying little heed to public health measures despite the numbers of reported coronavirus cases remaining high in both countries. While popular vacation destinations in Europe are still closed to visitors from Russia and Ukraine as European nations move carefully to lift restrictions on foreign visitors, Black Sea resorts in Russia and Ukraine are filled to capacity from domestic tourism. Now, Russian sun-lovers are left with the narrow pebble beaches of Sochi or Crimea as their only beach vacation options.
Texas orders bars shut amid surge in confirmed virus cases
Owner of Big Daddy Zane's Gabrielle Ellison poses for a photo behind the bar top of her establishment in Odessa, Texas, Friday, June 26, 2020. Ellison was operating her bar in violation of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's new order that shut bars back down and limits restaurants' capacities to 50% following a surge in coronavirus cases. (Eli Hartman/Odessa American via AP)
Earthquake rattles parts of West Texas
EL PASO, Texas – An earthquake on Thursday rattled parts of west Texas. According to the United States Geological Survey, a magnitude 4.7 quake struck near Mentone, which is about 77 miles west of Odessa and about 200 miles east of El Paso. The temblor hit about 10:15 a.m. Houston time. According to KTSM-TV in El Paso, some people in the border town felt the shaking. This quake was preceded by a smaller 3.8-magnitude tremor that was reported about 3:50 a.m. Houston time in the same area.